CONSULADO  GENERAL  DE  BOLIVIA 


olivia 


and  the  opening  of  the 


Panama  Canal 


GENERAL  INFORMATION  ON  BOLIVIA 
MINERAL  RESOURCES 


Bolivia 


y  la  apertura  del 


Canal  de  Panama 


1912 
NEW  YORK 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Introduction  1 

Railroads  to  be  opened 2 

Look  for  increased  commerce 2 

Railroad  development  3 

Progress  on  Madeira-Mamore  Railroad 4 

Bolivia  Railway  Company    5 

General  Information  on  Bolivia 6 

Area,  Population,  Commerce  6 

Products,  agriculture,  mines,  public  debt 7 

Rubber  8 

Navigation  on  Titicaca  Lake  8 

Network  of  Bolivian  rivers 8 

Various  routes  to  Bolivia 8 

International  Postal  Union  •. 8 

Telegraphic  net  of  Bolivia 8 

Vias  to  Bolivia  through  foreign  ports 9 

Products  and  Industries 9 

Tin    9 

Coal 11 

Bismuth  11 

Rubber  11 

Cacao   12 

Coffee 12 

Coca   12 

Cattle   12 

Mineral  Resources  of  Bolivia 12 

Gold  Mining 12 

Mining  Regulations   14 

Routes  of  Travel  15 

The  Press  of  Bolivia 15 

Rates  for  newspaper  advertisements 16 

List  of  Bolivian  newspapers  for  advertisements 16 

Banking  in  Bolivia   17 

List  of  national  issue  banks  and  their  capitals 17 

List  of  mortgage  banks  and  amount  of  bonds  issued 17 

Consulates  of  Bolivia  in  the  United  States 17 

"Bolivian  Tariff  and  Appraisement  Schedules" 17 

Bolivia  y  la  apertura  del  Canal  de  Panama   (Articulo  del  New 

York   Herald}    .  .    19-24 


LA  PAZ. 
Principal  Town  in  Bolivia,  showing  snow  mount  "Illimani"  22,390  feet  high. 


Bolivia 

and  the  opening  of  the 

Panama  Canal 


O\\"I.\(i  to  the  interest  awakened  in  the  United  States  to  further 
business    relations    with    the    Spanish-American    republics    on 
account  of  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  a  reporter  of  the 
A'lTv.'   York  Herald  obtained  from  Senor  Adolfo  Ballivian,  Consul  Gen- 
eral  of   Bolivia,   and   from   other   gentlemen,   the   following  information 
about  Bolivia  : 

"1  am  sending  all  these  clippings  to  my  government,"  said  Mr.  Balli- 
vian, "to  support  me  in  urging  that  my  country  should  lose  no  time  in 
making  full  preparations  for  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal.  I  have 
been  very  much  interested  in  the  articles  in  the  Herald  dealing  with 
South  American  affairs  and  have  kept  them  all  carefully. 

"I  find  that  other  countries  are  alive  to  the  importance  of  the  new 
highway,  and  1  do  not  want  my  own  country  to  be  behind.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  when  communications  are  made  so  much  easier  the  United 
States  will  take  the  lead  in  the  commerce  of  the  west  coast  of  South 
America.  Preparations  to  take  care  of  the  trade  are  already  being  made 
here.  I  am  anxious  that  my  government  should  meet  these  efforts  at 
least  half  way. 

"I  am  recommending  as  a  first  step  that  the  scope  of  this  Consulate 
should  be  considerably  widened.  I  want  to  establish  a  fully  equipped 
bureau  of  information  here.  I  want  to  make  it  possible  to  answer  all 
kinds  of  inquiries  about  commercial  opportunities  in  my  country,  so  as 
to  foster  trade  as  much  as  possible.  I  want  to  have  samples  of  the  various 
products  of  my  country,  so  that  we  can  show  importers  here  exactly  the 
kind  of  goods  we  have  to  offer. 

"I  have  had  several  inquiries  from  American  exporters  and  manu- 
facturers as  to  the  best  methods  of  making  commodities  known  in  Bolivia. 
I  want  to  have  established  here  some  central  agency  which  could  take 
advertisements  and  arrange  to  have  them  appear  in  the  various  news- 
papers and  publications  in  my  country. 

1 

1502915 


Railroads  To  Be  Ready  Soon. 

"Railroad  developments  which  were  undertaken  in  Bolivia  several 
years  ago  will  be  completed  about  the  same  time  as  the  Panama  Canal,  or 
perhaps  a  little  earlier.  These  developments  will  add  to  the  effect  of  the 
work  your  government  is  doing.  At  present  the  Pacific  coast  trade  must 
enter  Bolivia  either  by  way  of  Mollendo,  in  Peru,  or  Antofagasta,  in 
Chili.  Under  an  agreement  with  the  government  of  Chili  a  new  railway 
is  being  built  from  Arica,  on  the  coast  of  Chili,  to  La  Paz,  in  Bolivia, 
which  will  cut  down  the  time  of  the  journey  at  to  at  least  a  third  and 
will  bring  La  Paz  within  eight  or  ten  hours  of  the  coast.  It  is  a  par- 
ticularly good  omen  that  these  two  big  undertakings  should  be  completed 
at  about  the  same  time.  * 

"At  present  merchandise  going  by  the  Panama  route  and  by  Mollendo 
suffers  a  very  great  deal  in  transshipment.  It  has  to  be  transshipped  at 
Colon,  then  again  at  Panama,  and  several  times  again  after  it  reaches  the 
port  of  Mollendo.  From  Mollendo  to  La  Paz  there  is  no  through  route 
at  present.  The  journey  must  be  made  in  three  stages.  The  first  stage 
is  by  rail  to  Puno,  on  Lake  Titicaca.  At  that  point  the  merchandise  must 
be  transferred  to  the  steamboat  on  the  lake ;  then  to  Guaqui,  the  port  of 
La  Paz,  to  which  city  it  is  finally  conveyed  by  rail. 

"I  have  calculated  that  merchandise  shipped  by  this  route  is  handled 
twenty-one  times.  When  the  service  by  the  Panama  Canal  is  opened  and 
the  Arica-La  Paz  Railroad  is  in  operation  this  number  will  be  cut  down 
to  eight.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  means  a  great  deal  in  decreased  freight 
charges,  leaving  savings  in  time  out  of  consideration  altogether.  The 
time  taken  in  transportation  will  be  cut  in  less  than  half. 

Look  for  Increased  Commerce. 

"The  foreign  commerce  of  Bolivia  is  not  yet  big.  Not  because  the 
possibilities  are  not  big  but  because  so  far  we  have  lacked  the  means  of 
transportation.  Now  that  these  are  to  be  supplied  we  should  see  a  great 
increase.  In  my  office  we  have  just  completed  the  returns  of  the  exports 
sent  from  New  York  to  Bolivia  for  the  fiscal  year  1911.  The  total  of 
the  exports  was  $1,215,986.  The  biggest  single  item  in  this  total  was 
cottons,  $389,234.  Next  came  machinery,  about  $130,000,  and  then  ex- 
plosives, with  $127,559. 

"I  am  not  in  possession  of  complete  figures  of  the  export  and  import 
trade  of  Bolivia,  but  these  figures  for  the  imports  into  Bolivia  for  the 
last  five  years  give  an  idea  of  the  way  the  business  has  grown.  In  1906 
our  total  imports  were  valued  at  35,087,325  bolivianos ;  in  1907,  37,897  - 
610 ;  in  1908,  40,732,543 ;  in  1909,  34,224,764,  and  in  1910,  48,802,394. 
Our  total  exports  in  1910  amounted  to  75,622,147  bolivianos.  It  is  easy 
to  convert  these  figures  into  American  money,  -as  a  boliviano  is  equal 
roughly  to  forty  cents. 

*  As  this  pamphlet  goes  to  press,  a  cable  from  Valparaiso  dated  March  2nd 
advises  that  the  rails  of  the  Arica-La  Paz  Railway  have  been  united,  the  work 
having  commenced  simultaneously  at  both  ends.  On"  August  6th  next,  the  Bolivian 
National  Feast,  the  Presidents  of  Chili  and  Bolivia,  will  make  the  official  inauguration. 


"Minerals  and  rubber  are  the  two  chief  articles  with  which  Bolivia 
pays  for  the  things  she  imports.  Bolivia  is  very  rich,  but  like  misers, 
the  people  of  Bolivia  keep  their  wealth  hidden.  It  is  underground.  It 
needs  to  be  brought  to  the  light  of  day  to  be  useful. 

"It  seems  strange  to-day  to  think  that  before  Boston  was  founded, 
Potosi.  one  of  the  cities  of  Bolivia  which  has  only  a  small  population  now 
was  the  home  of  160,000  persons.  In  the  days  of  Spanish  conquest  it 
afforded  immense  wealth  in  silver.  The  sn^ar  loaf  mountain  there  is 
honeycombed  with  mines.  There  are  at  least  five  thousand  shafts  in  it. 
The  mining  industry  in  my  country  was,  however,  badly  hit  by  the  de- 
preciation in  value  of  silver.  Very  little  silver  is  mined  to-day.  Lowering 
of  freight  rates  because  of  the  new  routes  of  transportation  may,  how- 
ever, cause  a  revival. 

"In  1910  the  total  value  of  silver  exported  was  5,476,398  bolivianos, 
while  the  value  of  the  tin  sent  out  was  37,006,504.  Tin  has  taken  the 
place  of  silver  and  now  Bolivia  is  one  of  the  big  tin  producing  countries 
of  the  world.  It  is  the  only  country  in  South  America  in  which  tin  has 
been  found  at  all. 

Railroad  Development. 

"Bolivia  has  not  yet  been  used  as  a  field  for  American  capital  to  a 
very  great  extent.  An  American  syndicate  obtained  a  concession  to  build 
five  hundred  miles  of  railroads  about  five  years  ago.  They  worked  for 
t\vo  or  three  years  on  it  and  then  control  passed  to  an  English  company, 
which  alread\  operated  the  Antofagasta  Bolivia  Railroad. 

"Another  railroad  undertaking  which  is  being  carried  through  by 
Americans,  however,  and  one  which  will  be  of  untold  benefit  to  Bolivia, 
is  that  of  the  Madeira-Mamore  Railroad.  It  is  being  built  in  Brazilian 
territory,  but  it  will  prove  of  great  assistance  to  Bolivia. 

"Bolivia  is  unfortunate  in  not  having  any  port.  She  is  one  of  the 
few  South  American  countries  without  seaboard.  Though  one-quarter  the 
size  of  the  United  States,  her  territory  is  entirely  inland.  A  large  part 
of  this  area  is  on  the  east  of  the  Andes,  a  very  productive  territory  and 
enormously  rich  in  rubber,  t'p  to  now  the  development  of  that  section 
has  been  held  back  by  the  want  of  transportation.  The  main  outlet  is 
through  the  Mamore  and  Madeira  rivers  to  the  Amazon,  but  it  is  very 
dangerous  because  of  rapids  in  the  rivers.  The  rapids  have  been  very 
destructive  both  to  lives  and  treasure. 

"The  importance  which  my  country  attached  to  a  satisfactory  outlet 
to  seaboard  by  this  way  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  about  forty  years  ago 
the  government  guaranteed  the  expense  of  an  attempt  to  build  a  railroad 
to  carry  merchandise  'round  the  rapids  even  though  it  was  to  be  built  in 
foreign  territory.  The  attempt,  however,  failed  and  has  been  renewed 
only  in  recent  years.  About  nine  years  ago,  by  an  agreement  with  Brazil, 
which  received  a  ce->i':ii  of  Bolivian  territory  undertook  to  build  a 
railroad  round  the  rapids.  The  concc->ion  for  the  building  of  the  railroad 
was  given  to  a  Brazilian,  who  called  in  Americans  to  do  the  work.  It  is 
now  nearing  completion  and  it>  bonds  are  being  eagerly  awaited." 


Progress  on  Madeira-Mamore  Railroad.* 

As  to  the  progress  on  the  Madeira-Mamore  Railroad,  Mr.  Rodney 
D.  Chipp,  treasurer  of  the  Madeira-Mamore  Railway  Company,  of  No. 
115  Broadway,  said  yesterday: — ''Though  the  progress  of  the  work  on 
the  railroad  revealed  unexpected  difficulties,  we  expect  to  have  it  in  opera- 
tion next  June.  We  have  been  working  on  it  now  for  five  years. 

"The  difficulties  encountered  were  climatic,  not  engineering.  We 
tackled  the  difficulties  along  the  lines  which  proved  so  successful  in  the 
Panama  zone.  We  made  a  model  town  of  Porto  Velho  and  established 
a  hospital  there.  We  sent  down  a  competent  staff  of  doctors  and  nurses 
to  man  it. 

"Our  undertaking  was,  practically  speaking,  a  new  one.  The  idea 
was  old  and  in  fact  an  attempt  had  been  made  in  the  seventies  to  build  a 
railroad  there  by  a  Philadelphia  concern,  but  the  attempt  failed.  When 
we  began  operations  the  old  work  was  entirely  overgrown. 

"We  are  building  rather  more  than  two  hundred  miles  of  railroad 
'round  the  falls  and  cataracts  of  the  Madeira  and  Mamore  rivers.  This 
railroad  will  connect  the  navigation  of  the  Amazon  and  Madeira  rivers 
below  the  falls  with  the  thousands  of  miles  of  navigation  in  Bolivia  and 
Brazil  above  said  falls.  These  falls  and  rapids  on  the  rivers  interrupted 
the  navigation  here  for  about  two  hundred  miles  except  by  canoes  hand- 
led by  Indians.  Although  the  Indians  acquire  and  use  great  skill  and 
handle  almost  incredible  difficulties,  the  loss  of  life  and  merchandise  is 
enormous.  The  loss  of  merchandise  is  estimated  at  twenty  per  cent.  It 
can  be  readily  seen  what  a  saving  the  railroad  will  make  possible,  and 
considering  the  enormous  area  tapped,  what  the  possibilities  awaiting 
development  are. 

"We  have  down  there  a  large  force  of  engineers  and  mechanics  from 
the  United  States.  The  rails  are  Belgian,  while  the  rolling  stock  and 
locomotives  are  American  made.  For  ties  we  have  used  the  native  hard 
woods  and  have  also  imported  some  from  Australia.  The  opening  of  the 
section  at  that  time  completed  took  place  last  September." 

The  president  of  the  Madeira  Mamore  Railway  Company  is  Percival 
Farquhar.  Mr.  Farquhar  is  interested  in  many  railroad  properties  in 
Brazil.  It  was  reported  some  time  ago  that  he  and  Dr.  F.  S.  Pearson, 
another  American  who  has  done  pioneer  work  in  the  Brazilian  traction 
field,  had  attempted  to  obtain  control  of  a  transcontinental  system  of 
railroads  in  this  country,  and  that  the  attempt  had  not  been  successful. 

Bolivia  Railway  Company. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Metcalfe,  vice  president  of  the  Bolivia  Railway  Company 
and  formerly  the  company's  president,  told  a  Herald  reporter  that  during 
the  early  period  of  construction  of  the  railroad  he  spent  several  months  in 
Bolivia  and  the  adjoining  countries. 

*  Since  last  February  this  railroad  is  transporting  cargo  from  and  to  "Porto 
Velho"-"Villa  Murlinho"  in  front  of  "Villa  Bella"  the  Bolivian  Custom-House. 
The  official  inauguration  will  be  on  the  4th  of  July  of  this  year  A  B 


"I  found  Bolivia  a  country  very  rich  in  mineral  resources,"  said 
Mr.  Metcalfe,  "and  the  people  very  fine  to  do  business  with.  The  Bolivia 
Railway  Company  was  originally  American.  The  concession  to  build 
about  five  hundred  miles  of  road  was  obtained  by  the  National  City  Bank 
and  Speyer  &  Co.  The  lines  contemplated  included  lines  from  Viacha 
to  Oruro,  Oruro  to  Cochabamba,  Rio  Mulato  to  Potosi  and  Uyuni  to 
Turpiza.  The  line  from  Viacha  to  Oruro  is  already  in  operation  and 
the  line  to  Potosi  will  be  opened  next  month.  Construction  is  going 
ahead  on  the  other  sections. 

"The  work  continued  for  about  three  years  under  the  American  con- 
trol and  then  control  passed  to  an  English  company.  This  English  com- 
pany was  already  operating  a  line  from  Antofagasta  to  Oruro.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  lines  built  and  building  by  the  Bolivia  Railway  Com- 
pany form  extensions  and  spurs  to  this  road  and  now  the  two  are  operated 
as  one  system. 

"The  engineering  difficulties  in  the  Bolivia  Railway  Company's  un- 
dertaking are  not  nearly  so  great  as  those  in  some  other  railroads.  It 
is  true  that  the  altitude  is  great — it  never  goes  below  12,000  feet — but 
the  greater  portion  of  the  road  is  on  the  fairly  level  pampas,  the  great 
Bolivian  plateau,  and  not  through  mountainous  country  where  frequent 
change  of  grade  is  necessary. 

"So  far  not  very  much  American  capital  has  gone  into  Bolivia.  So 
far  as  I  know  there  are  no  large  scale  American  mining  enterprises, 
for  example.  Such  mining  properties  have  been  developed  by  small 
capital.  The  government,  however,  is  anxious  to  induce  foreign  capital 
to  enter  the  field  and  is  offering  inducements,  both  in  mining  and  rubber 
production.  I  found  the  men  in  authority  eminently  fair  and  very  bus- 
iness like.  It  was  very  much  easier  to  get  'Yes'  or  'No'  there  than  it  is 
in  Washington. 

"Apart  from  the  freight  traffic  I  expect  to  see  Bolivia  come  to  the 
front  as  a  tourist  country  after  the  Panama  Canal  is  opened.  Already 
it  is  being  largely  patronized.  On  some  of  the  cruises  which  touch  at 
the  different  ports  on  the  west  coast  passengers  leave  the  steamer  at 
Mollendo,  go  up  to  La  Paz  by  way  of  Lake  Titicaca  and  then  rejoin  the 
steamer  at  Antofagasta  by  way  of  Oruro  and  Uyuni.  A  more  delightful 
trip  can  hardly  be  imagined.  The  tourists  cross  the  Andes  twice  or  at 
least  one  range  of  these  mountains,  and  they  pass  through  the  country 
rich  in  marks  of  ancient  civilization  and  which  speaks  of  the  wonderful 
achievements  of  the  Spanish  conquerors.  It  is  a  wonderful  country, 
which  we  are  only  just  beginning  to  hear  about." 


General  Information  on 

BOLIVIA 

AREA,  POPULATION,  COMMERCE,  PRODUCTS,  ETC. 

(Extracts}* 


Bolivia  is  one  of  the  few  countries  on  the  American  continent  which 
possesses  no  sea  coast.  Completely  surrounded  by  Peru,  Chile,  Argen- 
tina, Paraguay,  and  Brazil,  it  extends  over  708,195  square  miles  and 
has  a  population  of  2,267,935,  being  the  most  sparsely  populated  of  the 
American  Republics.  The  vast  plateau  which  extends  in  length  over 
500  miles,  at  an  average  altitude  of  12,000  feet  above  sea  level,  and  on 
which  are  situated  most  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  Republic,  is  the  most 
noted  topographical  feature  of  the  country. 

The  mountains  of  Bolivia  abound  in  mineral  wealth,  tin,  silver, 
gold,  copper,  etc.,  and  these  form  the  principal  products  of  export. 
Coffee,  cacao,  tobacco,  sugar  cane,  and  other  crops  are  successfully 
cultivated.  The  forests  contain  numerous  species  of  valuable  woods, 
the  best  known  of  which  are  the  hevea  brasiliensis  and  the  cast  ill  o  a  elastica, 
from  which  india  rubber  and  caoutchouc  is  gathered;  the  crythroxylon 
coca,  the  leaves  of  which  are  used  for  medicinal  purposes ;  and  the  well- 
known  cinchona  tree,  the  bark  of  which  is  used  for  the  manufacture  of 
quinine. 

The  largest  city  and  commercial  center  of  Bolivia  is  La  Paz,  with 
a  population  of  80,000.  Other  cities  with  a  population  of  over  20,000 
are  Sucre,  Cochabamba,  Santa  Cruz,  Potosi,  and  Oruro. 

During  1909  Bolivia  made  steady  advances,  the  most  noticeable 
improvement  being  the  gain  in  foreign  commerce  of  almost  $2,000,000. 
The  balance  of  trade  was  in  favor  of  the  Republic,  as  the  exports  far 
exceeded  the  imports,  and  while  the  imports  fell  somewhat  short  of 
those  of  1908,  exports  on  the  other  hand,  for  1909  exceeded  those  for 
1908  by  $3,500,000. 


*  Most  of  these  extracts  are  taken  from  publications  of  the  "Pan   American 
Union  of  Washington." 


In  railroad  construction  noticeable  progress  was  made.  The  pros- 
pect not  only  of  opening  new  regions  throughout  the  Republic,  but  also 
of  affording  quicker  access  to  the  principal  centres  by  newer  and  shorter 
lines  was  satisfactory. 

As  far  as  concerns  agriculture,  Bolivia  is  still  in  a  backward  state. 
Notwithstanding  the  fertility  of  the  plateaus  and  the  marvelous  rich- 
ness of  the  eastern  slopes,  the  country  is  still  so  sparsely  settled  and 
so  inaccessible  that  production  barely  keeps  pace  with  consumption.  The 
great  staples  of  Bolivia — rubber,  coffee  and  cacao — can  be  produced  in 
far  greater  abundance  than  they  are  to-day,  but  what  is  chiefly  needed 
is  a  larger  industrial  population.  Bolivia  is  taking  active  steps  for  the 
encouragement  of  immigration  into  its  undeveloped  territory. 

Until  quite  recently  Bolivia  was  in  effect  a  country  without  a  debt. 
It  has  yet  a  very  small  debt  and  even  with  the  contraction  of  a  new 
loan  for  £1,500,000  the  debt  will  still  be  well  within  the  limit  of  its 
resources.  Prior  to  1908  the  only  debt  of  the  Republic  was  the  internal 
debt.  This  debt,  reduced  from  time  to  time  from  over  5,000,000  boli- 
vianos, is  now  less  than  1,000,000  bolivianos. 

It  is  upon  her  mineral  wealth  that  Bolivia  mainly  depends,  and 
present  conditions  all  point  to  increased  activity  in  the  exploitation  of 
these  resources  through  the  constantly  increasing  foreign  demand  for 
the  mineral  products  of  the  country.  The  mineral  wealth  of  Bolivia, 
including  nearly  all  known  metals,  is  widely  distributed  and  very  rich 
and  abundant.  Great  veins  of  ore  containing  the  precious  metal  are 
found  in  the  mountains,  and  while  their  exploitation  is  carried  on  on 
a  considerable  scale,  yet,  due  to  the  lack  of  labor,  capital  and  adequate 
transportation  facilities,  they  are  not  fully  developed  and  in  many  in- 
stances remain  entirely  virgin.  The  copper,  tin,  and  bismuth  mines  of 
the  Republic  are  among  the  richest  in  the  world. 


Navigation  in  'Vallu|m>"-rafts, 
i  KiviT,  I'.olivin. 


The  production  of  india  rubber  must  be  counted  as  one  of  the  most 
important  and  certain  sources  of  national  wealth.  The  largest  rubber- 
producing  districts  are  located  in  the  national  territory  of  Colonias, 
the  Departments  of  Beni  and  Santa  Cruz,  and  portions  of  La  Paz  and 
Cochabamba.  The  two  last-named  districts  also  cultivate  cacao  and 
coffee,  while  the  two  former  contribute  other  valuable  vegetable  pro- 
ducts. Upland  rice  is  grown  to  some  extent  in  the  province  of  Azero 
and  Cordillera.  A  large  area  of  the  Republic  is  well  suited  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  wheat  which  might  be  grown  in  quantities  sufficient  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  home  market,  but  as  yet  this  branch  of  agricultural 
development  has  been  little  studied. 

A  regular  line  of  steamers  is  maintained  on  Lake  Titicaca,  situated 
at  an  altitude  of  12,900  feet  and  having  an  area  of  4,000  square  miles, 
being  thus  not  only  the  highest  but  also  one  of  the  largest  lakes  on 
the  American  continents.  Lake  Aullagas  is  connected  with  Lake  Titi- 
caca by  means  of  the  Rio  Desaguadero.  The  principal  open  ports  on 
Lake  Titicaca  are  Escoma,  Ancoraimes,  Huata,  Puerto  Perez,  Carabuco, 
and  Guaqui  or  Hauqui. 

Bolivia  has  a  network  of  rivers,  which  afford  excellent  means  of 
transportation  and  communication,  the  entire  length  of  her  navigable 
streams  being  about  12,000  miles.  Of  these  the  Paraguay  River  is 
navigable  for  some  1,100  miles  for  steamers  of  8  to  10  feet  draft;  the 
Itenes  for  1,000  miles,  and  the  Beni  1,000  miles,  but  for  steamers  of  6 
feet  draft  only,  while  the  Pilcomayo,  Mamore,  Madre  de  Dios,  Itonama, 
Sara,  Orton,  Baures,  Inambary,  Paragua,  Pirai,  Chapare,  Abuna, 
Yacuma,  and  Desaguadero  rivers  are  all  navigable  for  light-draft  vessels 
for  distances  varying  from  200  to  1,000  miles. 

The  principal  routes  to  the  country  are  as  follows: 

Mollendo  route. — From  Mollendo  to  Puno  (Peru),  by  rail,  324  miles, 
twenty-two  hours ;  from  Puno  to  Guaqui,  by  steamer,  crossing  Lake  Titi- 
caca, 180  miles,  sixteen  hours ;  from  Guaqui  to  La  Paz,  59  miles,  by  rail, 
three  hours ;  or  a  total  distance  of  563  miles  covered  in  three  and  one-half 
days.  Arica  route.— From  Arica  (Chile),  to  La  Paz,  a  distance  of  337  miles, 
which  was  heretofore  made  by  mule  and  llama,  will  in  a  few  months  be  made 
entirely  by  rail  in  from  8  to  10  hours.  Antofagasta  route. — The  total  dis- 
tance from  Antofagasta  (Chile),  to  Oruro  is  573  miles,  which  can  be 
covered  in  two  days,  by  rail.  The  railway  is  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions— the  Chilean  section,  from  Antofagasta  to  Ollague,  and  the  Boli- 
vian section,  from  Ollague  to  Oruro,  via  Uyuni.  Amazon  route. — From 
Para  (Brazil),  to  Villa  Bella  and  Puerto  Acre,  a  distance  of  2,152  miles 
from  the  former  and  2,533  miles  from  the  latter  point,  covered  in  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  and  two  hundred  and  forty-four  hours,  respec- 
tively. The  entire  trip  is  made  in  vessels  along  the  navigable  rivers  of 
Brazil  and  Bolivia.  Argentine  route.— From  Buenos  Aires  (Argentina), 
by  rail,  to  the  Bolivian  frontier  town  of  La  Quiaca,  and  thence  by  mule 
tram  to  Tupiza  and  Tarija,  a  total  distance  of  1,850  miles.  From  Buenos 
\ires  the  trip  can  also  be  made  up  the  Paraguay  River  to  Puerto 

i  iennoPuert°  Suarez'  and  La  Gaiba>  in  Bolivia, 'being  1,553.   1.741, 
and  1,908  miles,  respectively  distant  from  Buenos  Aires.     From  Puerto 


Pacheco  to  La  Paz  the  distance  is  1,169  miles,  from  Puerto  Suarez, 
1,125,  and  from  La  Gaiba,  1,158  miles,  respectively,  by  roads  and  bridle 
paths.  Another  route  from  Buenos  Aires  is  via  the  Bermejo  River, 
on  which  steamers  ply,  between  the  cities  of  Esquina  Grande,  Bolivia, 
and  Rivadavia  (Argentina). 

Bolivia  has  been  a  member  of  the  International  Postal  Union  since 
1885,  so  that  all  rules  and  regulations  applying  to  mails  within  the  union 
govern  mail  matter  destined  to  the  Republic.  The  postal  service,  which 
comprises  over  200  offices,  handles  more  than  3,000,000  pieces  of  'mail 
matter  annually.  A  parcels  post  and  money  order  convention  also  exists 
between  the  United  States  and  Bolivia. 

Extraordinary  progress  was  made  during  1909  in  linking  up  the 
various  parts  of  the  country  by  the  building  of  new  telegraph  lines  and 
the  repair  and  extension  of  those  already  in  existence.  The  telegraph 
system  of  the  Republic  comprises  3,979  miles  of  lines,  and  is  operated 
by  124  offices. 

No  through  bills  of  lading  issued  to  points  in  Bolivia,  except  as 
noted  below  for  La  Paz.  Shipments  are  made  via  the  ports  in  Chile, 
Peru,  Brazil  and  Argentina  named  below.  For  details  as  to  sailings,  etc., 
consult  Routes  given  for  those  countries. 

Beni.  .  .(via  Mollendo,  Peru;  Para,  Brazil;  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 

Caupolican (via   Mollendo,   Peru) 

Challapata (via  Antofagasta,  Chile) 

Cochabamba (via  Antofagasta,  or  Arica,  Chile,  or  Mollendo,  Peru) 

Colquechaca (via   Antofagasta,   Chile) 

Concepcion (via  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 

Corocoro (via  Mollendo,  Peru) 

Coroico (via  Mollendo,  Peru) 

Guaqui  (Huaqui) (via  Mollendo,  Peru) 

Huanchaca (via  Antofagasta,  Chile) 

La  Paz.  .  (via  Arica,  Chile ;  Mollendo,  Peru  ;  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina ) 

Oruro (via  Antofagasta.  Chile) 

Poopo (via   Antofagasta,    Chile) 

Potosi.  .  .  .  (via  Antofagasta,  Chile;  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 

Puerto  Perez (via  Mollendo,  Peru) 

Puerto  Suarez (via  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 

Reyes (via  Para,  Brazil) 

Kihcralta (via  Para,  Brazil) 

Salinas (via  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 

Santa  Ana (via  Para,  I'.ruzil) 

Santa  Cruz (via  Antofagasta.  Chile) 

Sorata (via  Mollendo.   Peru  ) 

Sucre (via  Antofagasta.  ( 'hile  ) 

Tarija (via  Antofagasta,  Chile  ;  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires.  Argentina  ) 

Trinidad (via  Para,   lirazil) 

Tupiza (via  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires.  Argentina) 

Uyuni (via  Antofagasta,  Chile) 

Villa  P-ella (via  Para.  Brazil) 

Yacuiba (via  Rosario  or  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina) 


PRODUCTS  AND  INDUSTRIES 

From  1540  to  1750,  a  period  of  210  years,  the  gold  mines  of  Bolivia  produced 
$2,100,000,000.  From  1750  to  the  beginning  af  the  nineteenth  century  the  mines  and 
placers  situated  in  the  Provinces  of  Larecaja  and  Caupolican  produced  $14,000,000 
gold,  and  from  1818  to  1868  the  output  was  valued  at  about  $3,000,000.  The  product 
of  the  other  mines  and  placers  of  the  nation,  from  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  to 
the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  is  estimated  at  $125,000,000.  The  annual 
gold  production  of  Bolivia  may  be  calculated  at  17,460  troy  ounces,  which,  at  $20  an 
ounce,  gives  a  value  of  $349,200. 

TIN 

Bolivia  produces  one-quarter  of  the  total  tin  output  of  the  world.  Recently 
tin  sold  for  1,000  bolivianos  a  ton.  The  wealth  accruing  to  the  Andean  Republic 
from  this  source  would  be  a  simple  arithmetical  problem  if  this  price  was  constant. 
Fortunately,  during  the  past  few  years  the  value  of  a  ton  of  tin  has  never  gone  much 
below  750  bolivianos,  and  at  that  price  the  Bolivian  tin  miner  is  assured  a  good 
profit  despite  the  difficulties  of  transportation. 

Tin,  as  a  component  of  bronze,  had  its  uses  as  a  metal  thousands  of  years  prior  to 
the  most  remote  recorded  history.  As  to  when  it  first  assumed  a  separated  charac- 
teristic composition  we  have  no  exact  information.  In  the  first  century  is  was  defi- 
nitely known  to  the  Greeks,  but  it  may  have  been  in  existence  in  the  days  of  Moses. 
At  a  somewhat  later  period  of  the  Jewish  history  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  brought 
by  the  ships  of  Tarish  from  islands  east  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  Phoenicians,  those 
early  indefatigable  traders  credited  with  the  discovery  of  Albion,  were  the  first  who 
found  tin  in  Cornwall,  whence  they  carried  it  to  Italy.  The  Romans,  however,  con- 
fused tin  with  lead,  calling  the  former  white  and  the  latter  black  lead.  The  Latin 
word  stannum  did  not  definitely  mean  tin  until  the  fourth  century. 

This  metal,  or  rather  tin  stone,  as  the  native  oxide  is  called,  has  a  very  limited 
distribution  on  the  earth's  surface.  The  Malay  Straits  country,  the  Island  of  Banka, 
a  limited  area  in  India,  and  Australia,  with  Cornwall  and  Bolivia,  are  the  few  places 
where  it  is  found  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  the  exploitation  of  tin  profitable. 
Small  deposits  are  found  in  Alaska,  some  of  the  United  States,  Mexico,  Colombia, 
Peru,  while  considerable  "cassiterite,"  another  name  for  tin  ore,  has  been  dug  up  in 
the  mineral  region  of  Argentina. 

The  characteristics  of  tin  are  its  pure  silver-white  brilliant  color ;  its  flexibility — a 
remarkable  cracking  noise  is  produced  upon  bending  tin;  its  malleability — tin  foil, 
which  is  the  beaten  metal,  being  hammered  out  to  1/1000  part  of  an  inch  in  thickness; 
and  its  quality  of  hardness,  which  is  somewhere  between  that  of  gold  and  lead.  It 
is  ductile,  capable  of  being  drawn  out  into  wire,  and  has  little  tenacity.  Exposed  to 
the  elements,  it  loses  its  bright  color  and  becomes  dark  gray.  It  finds  its  greatest  use 
as  an  alloy  of  other  metals. 

In  extracting  the  metal  the  first  process  is  grinding  the  ore.  This  ground  ore  is 
then  washed  in  order  to  remove  the  impurities,  the  specific  gravity  being  so  high 
that  the  earthy  matter  and  even  some  of  the  foreign  metallic  ores  present  are  easily 
eliminated  in  the  washing  process.  In  order  to  remove  other  extraneous  matter  of 
nearly  the  same  specific  gravity,  the  ore  is  roasted  in  a  reverberatory  furnace  and  the 
sulphur  and  arsenic  thus  expelled.  The  ore,  thus  freed  from  foreign  matter  to  a 
certain  extent,  is  mixed  with  the  requisite  fuel  and  limestone  and  is  again  subjected 
to  great  heat  in  the  reverbaratory  furnace,  in  order  to  bring  the  whole  into  a  state  of 
fusion,  which  should  continue  for  about  eight  hours.  The  lime  unites  with  the 
remaining  earthy  matters  in  the  ore  and  flows  off  into  a  liquid  slag,  while  the  coal 
reduces  the  oxide  tin  to  its  metallic  state.  The  tin  thus  obtained  must,  however, 
be  further  refined  in  order  to  produce  the  pure  metal  that  commands  the  highest  price. 

The  uses  of  tin  are  limited,  but  unique.    The  unalloyed  metal  is  used  in  making 

pharmaceutical  apparatus  and  certain  infusion  pots  and  evaporating  basins  of  special 

Two  varieties  of  tinfoil  are  also  the  product  of  pure  tin— one  that  serves 

.to  silver  mirrors  and  the  other  as  a  wrapping  for  chocolates,  tobacco,  chewing-gum, 

10 


Extracting  Rubber  in  a  Bolivian  Forest. 


and  so  forth.  Making  tinfoil  is  the  simple  process  of  hammering  out  the  pure  tin 
into  thin  sheets  with  a  wooden  mallet.  Before  the  introduction  of  agate  ware  and 
other  similar  compositions  tin  was  largely  utilized  for  cooking  and  domestic  vessels 
and  found  favor  for  this  purpose  because  it  was  proof  against  the  effects  of  acid 
liquids,  such  as  lime  juice,  vinegar,  etc.,  and  because  it  did  not  tarnish.  Utensils 
of  pure  tin.  however,  were  very  expensive  and  had  to  be  made  very  heavy  for 
their  several  purposes;  thus  it  is  the  custom  to  give  iron  or  copper  vessels  a  coating 
of  tin.  which  gives  the  article  all  the  good  qualities  of  tin.  "Sheet  tin"  is  sheet 
iron  that  has  been  given  a  coating  of  pure  tin.  However,  as  already  stated,  by  far 
the  greater  part  of  tin  produced  metallurgically  is  used  for  making  tin  alloys,  and  in 
this  form  it  enters  into  the  make-up  of  almost  every  article  constructed  of  metal. 
Gold  and  silver  coins  contain  alloys  of  tin,  while  it  is  always  found  in  bronze,  lead, 
and  pewter. 

The  extensive  use  of  tin  augurs  well  for  the  future  economical  progress  of  Bolivia, 
as  the  only  land  in  the  western  continent  where  tin  is  found  and  worked  in  amounts 
that  repay  the  investment  to-day.  The  tin  zone  in  Bolivia  is  divided  into  four 
districts — La  Paz  in  the  north,  Oruro  in  the  center,  Choroloque  in  the  south,  and 
Potosi  in  the  east.  The  city  of  Oruro  is  the  tin  metropolis  and  commercial  center 
of  the  industry.  The  most  productive  mine  in  the  country  is  that  of  La  Salvador, 
which  has  an  output  varying  from  60  to  90  tons  a  month.  The  mining  country  is 
much  in  the  Cordillera  Real  Range,  and  the  lodes  are  found  at  altitudes  of  from 
11,000  to  16.000  feet,  the  height  of  one  in  the  Monte  Blanco  mining  section,  where 
the  offices  of  the  company  are,  being  14,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Certain  economic  factors  operate  against  the  highest  exploitation  of  tin  in  Bolivia, 
namely,  the  necessarily  heavy  freight  charges,  the  dependence  on  the  price  of  Straits 
tin,  the  export  duty,  and  the  fluctuation  of  the  Bolivian  money.  In  time  these  handi- 
caps will  be  overcome  and  the  proceeds  of  the  tin  mines  of  Bolivia  proportionately 
increased.  The  1910  production  reached  38,500.000  kilos,  valued  at  37,000,000  pesos 
bolivianos,  or  approximately  14,000,000  American  gold  dollars. 

COAL 

A  great  impetus  has  been  given  the  exploitation  of  coal  in  the  Copacabana  Pen- 
insula on  the  Bolivian  side  of  Lake  Titicaca,  the  deposits  of  which  could,  according 
to  official  estimates,  yield  40,000  tons  annually.  The  Government  is  devoting  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  industry,  the  development  of  which  would  result  in  the 
establishment  of  tin  smelters  in  the  country.  Thus  Bolivia,  instead  of  exporting  its 
tin  mostly  in  barrillas,  as  it  now  does,  would  ship  it  in  bars.  This  would  naturally 
enhance  the  value  of  the  article,  besides  furnishing  employment  to  a  larger  number 
of  labon 

BISMUTH 

The  Republic  occupies  a  prominent  place  among  the  very  few  bismuth  producing 
countries,  said  to  be  three  in  all.  In  Bolivia  bismuth  is  generally  exploited  with 
other  metals  from  which  its  separation  is  easy.  It  is  found  in  the  mineral  zone  be- 
tween Huayna-Potosi,  in  La  Paz,  and  Chorolque,  in  Potosi;  the  principal  region  is 
that  of  Tazna. 

It  is  perhaps  a  well-known  fact  that  the  production  of  bismuth  has  been  subject 
to  monopoly  control.  For  this  reason  the  prices  of  bismuth  do  not  undergo  any 
material  fluctuations,  and  it  may  be  noticed  that  for  several  years  the  price  of  this 
metal  has  been  maintained  at  9,150  bolivianos  per  metric  ton. 

From  1904  to  1909  the  bismuth  exported  from  Bolivia  amounted  to  1,220.824,280 
kilos,  valued  at  7,047,399.60  bolivianos,  or  an  annual  average  of  203,470,713  kilos, 
valued  at  1,174,566.60  bolivianos.  At  present  1  quintal  of  bismuth  in  bars  pays  an 
export  duty  of  10  bolivianos,  and  1  quintal  of  bismuth  in  small  bars,  7  bolivianos, 
by  virtue  of  the  law  of  February  9,  1910. 

RUBBER 

Xext  to  tin  the  most  important  product  of  Bolivia  is  rubber,  the  annual  export 
value  of  which  is  estimated  at  $4,000.000.  The  exploitation  of  the  rubber  lands  is 
regulated  by  law  through  an  annual  export  tax.  The  principal  areas  lie  in  the 

11 


northeast,  near  the  Peruvian  boundary;  in  the  east  in  the  Province  of  Santa  Cruz; 
and  in  the  Acre  and  Beni  territory,  which  is  exceptionally  rich  in  its  yield.  The 
Acre  territory  is  watered  by  several  large  rivers  originating  in  the  Cordillera  and 
flowing  into  the  Amazon.  These  are  the  Beni,  Madre  de  Dios,  the  Orton,  and  the 
Acre. 

Two  varieties  of  rubber  plant  are  found  in  this  district,  the  caucho,  which  has  to 
be  cut  down  in  order  to  extract  the  sap,  and  the  hevea,  which  is  merely  tapped.  In 
some  cases  the  trees  are  tapped  for  a  period  of  two  years,  and  are  then  rested  for  a 
similar  term.  Other  rubber  trees  are  tapped  for  six  years  at  a  time  and  then  left 
untouched  for  a  like  period.  The  trees  selected  for  tapping  in  this  section  are  usually 
from  30  to  40  years  of  age,  and  are  expected  to  yield  for  20  years,  after  which  they 
become  useless. 

CACAO,  COFFEE,  COCA,  ETC. 

Cacao  and  coffee  are  cultivated  in  the  Departments  of  La  Paz  and  Cochabamba, 
while  other  valuable  vegetable  products  are  produced  in  the  Departments  of  Beni 
and  Santa  Cruz.  Coca,  from  the  leaves  of  which  the  alkaloid  of  cocaine  is  produced, 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  products  of  Bolivia.  It  is  cultivated  in  the  lower  plateaus 
and  temperate  regions  of  the  western  watershed  of  the  Andes,  at  an  altitude  of  650  to 
1,600  meters  above  sea  level  Bolivian  coca  commands  a  high  price  in  foreign  markets 
on  account  of  its  superior  quality.  Upland  rice  is  grown  to  some  extent,  but  not  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  satisfy  the  local  demand.  A  large  area  of  the  Republic  is  well 
suited  to  the  cultivation  of  wheat,  which  might  be  grown  in  quantities  sufficient  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  home  market,  but  as  yet  this  branch  of  agricultural  develop- 
ment has  been  but  little  studied.  The  present  Government,  impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  stimulating  agriculture  in  the  Republic,  has  imported  wheat  of  superior 
quality  from  the  United  States  and  Argentina  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  a  high 
grade  of  seed  to  home  growers. 

CATTLE 

Cattle,  sheep,  and  llamas  are  abundant,  and  to  encourage  the  live-stock  industry 
of  the  country  there  is  a  national  veterinary  institute  and  a  recently  established 
agricultural  school  There  are  several  breweries  in  the  country  and  a  shoe  factory  ; 
also  many  minor  industrial  establishments. 

MINERAL  RESOURCES  OF  BOLIVIA 

(Bv  CABLOS  SARJTHES,  COXSCL  OF  BOLIVIA,  SAW  FBAXCISCO,  CAL) 

This  article  wiH  be  devoted  simply  to  sketching  the  mineral  resources  that  at 
die  present  moment  are  attracting  the  attention  of  the  mining  people  of  the  United 

GOLD  MI.VIXG, 

Before  furnishing  some  data  about  the  gold  industry,  a  general  description 
of  the  places  m  which  this  precious  metal  is  found  may  be  quoted  from  the 
OuUetm  of  the  International  Bureau  of  the  American  Republics. 

"The  distribution  of  the  metallic  belts  in  Bolivia  has  always  been  a  matter  of 

r  ,*°  geologists    Raimondi  having  made  the   statement   that   the    Bolivian 

X£  ™     \S  a-S  A-A*?*  suPP<>rted  by  gold  columns.'     The  gold-bearing  belt  of 

17  f  ^Voed  ,?t0-three  ?*ions-     The  first  extend*  fr<*«  the  western 
the  Republic  in  the  Inambari  basin  to  the  eastern  frontier  on  the 

embrafes  %  *«ole  mountainous   section   of  the 
Cercado,    Yungas,    Inquisivi,    and 


12 


quisaca),  as  far  as  Santa  Cruz  plains.  The  third  region,  which  perhaps  is  the 
richest,  extends  toward  the  northwest  of  the  Republic  as  far  as  Carabaya  (Peru) 
and  the  head  of  the  rivers  Madre  de  Dios,  Acre,  and  Purus." 

Exportation. — The  amount  of  the  exportation  cannot  be  determined  exactly, 
because  the  principal  part  of  the  production  is  smuggled  out  to  avoid  the  payment 
of  the  small  tax  of  20c.  on  each  ounce  exported.  In  1902  an  estimate  was  made 
based  on  reliable  private  information,  and  the  amount  of  the  export  was  figured 
at  more  than  1,300  Ibs.  per  year.  Ten  years  have  elapsed  since  then,  and  in  that 
period  of  time  more  capital  has  gone  into  the  gold  industry  and  many  new  mines 
have  been  discovered,  therefore  the  production  of  that  metal  is  at  present  evi- 
dently of  great  importance. 

It  can  be  understood  that  the  results  obtained  under  the  primitive  methods 
of  gold  mining  which  are  in  fact  in  use  at  the  present  time  in  almost  all  the 
mines,  should  be  greatly  increased  by  the  introduction  of  modern  methods  such 
as  those  adopted  in  Alaska  and  other  mineral  regions  of  the  United  States.  It 
can  be  stated  without  fear  of  error  that  any  person  familiar  with  the  mining  in- 
dustry and  with  small  capital  to  invest,  will  be  successful  working  either  by 
himself  or  associated  with  natives  in  Bolivia.  Many  own  rich  mines,  but  are 
unable  to  develop  them  on  account  of  lack  of  capital,  and  of  having  but  a  super- 
ficial knowledge  of  gold  mining.  The  work  progresses,  therefore,  on  a  very 
small  'scale. 

For  centuries  the  placers  of  Tipuani  and  Suchez  have  drawn  the  attention 
of  prospectors,  and  at  present,  among  the  hundreds  of  mining  concessions,  are 
foremost.  In  them  centres  the  principal  interest,  according  to  private  reports 
received  in  this  country  by  friends  of  the  American  miners  in  the  Bolivian  gold- 
fields.  It  will  be  useful  to  give  the  following  details  about  those  places. 

Tiptiani. — Tipuani  is  situated  in  the  Province  of  Laracaja,  Department  of 
La  Paz,  about  150  miles  north  of  the  city  of  La  Paz.  The  river  of  the  same  name 
from  the  Mount  Illampu,  formed  by  several  streams,  and  empties  into  the 
river  Mapiri.  Both  rivers  are  famous  for  the  presence  of  gravels  containing  im- 
mense quantities  of  gold.  According  to  published  reports,  at  a  depth  of  300  ft. 
rock  bottom  could  not  be  found;  the  proportion  of  the  gold  increasing  with  the 
depth  of  the  gravel.  Though  those  mines  have  been  worked  for  more  than  three 
centuries  and  contributed  on  a  large  scale  to  the  riches  of  the  Spanish  Crown  under 
the  Spanish  domination,  they  are  far  from  being  exhausted.  On  the  contrary, 
they  offer  splendid  chances  to  the  prospectors.  Tipuani  gold  is  from  22  to  23.50 
carats  fine. 

Suchez. — Suchez  is  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  Department  of  La  Paz, 
Province  of  Laracaja,  about  200  miles  from  the  city  of  La  Paz.  The  river  Suchez 
important  as  the  Tipuani,  because  of  the  great  amount  of  gold  that  its  waters 
carry.  At  the  headwaters  of  the  river  gold  is  found  in  conglomerates  and  recent 
gravel.  Along  its  bed  gold-bearing  gravel  exists  in  paying  quantities,  there  being 
about  100,000,000  cubic  metres  of  gravel  yielding  gold  at  the  rate  of  40c  per 
cubic  metre,  according  to  the  report  published  by  the  Bureau  of  American  Re- 
publics in  1904. 

Other  Localities. — Besides  Tipuani  and  Suchez,  there  are  in  Bolivia  many 
more  placers  and  mines  of  no  less  importance.  San  Juan  del  Oro,  Los  Cajones 
:  )  :  Chuquiaguillo  (.river),  about  three  miles  from  La  Paz;  and  the  mines 
of  Araca.  Arque,  San  Jose,  Sorotaco  de  Chiquitos,  etc.,  are  all  comprised  in  the 
first  region.  Amayapampa,  Suipacha.  Esmoraca,  Chuquichuqui,  San  Juan,  and 
tributaries  of  the  river  Guapay  are  comprised  in  the  second  region.  It  must  be 
noted  that  not  all  the  placers  and  mines  referred  to  are  under  actual  exploitation. 
many  of  them  being  idle  because  of  lack  of  capital,  and  thus  affording  a  good 
opportunity  for  new  applicants  for  mining  concessions. 

Though  the  following  concerns  the  ancient  history  of  the  mining  industry 
in  Bolivia,  it  is  of  interest  in  this  connection :  "According  to  the  data  gathered 
by  the  General  Bureau  of  Statistics  and  the  estimates  of  several  scientific  men 
a<  Humboldt.  Stohier,  and  others  who  made  a  special  study  of  the  matter,  the 
mines  of  Bolivia  have  produced,  from  the  year  1540  to  1750,  a  lapse  of  210  years, 
the  enormous  amount  of  £420,000,000,  about  $2,100,000,000." 

13 


TIN  MINING. 

Among  the  mineral  products  o-f  Bolivia  the  most  important  one  is  tin,  in  the 
development  of  which  large  capital  is  invested.  The  great  value  of  this  metal, 
which  fluctuates  around  £190  per  ton  in  the  markets  of  London,  has  led  the 
miners  of  Bolivia  to  devote  their  capital  and  energies  to  the  working  of  tin  mines 
in  preference  to  those  of  silver  and  other  metals.  This  fact  has  greatly  stimul- 
ated the  industry.  Most  of  the  companies  have  modern  and  well  designed  plants. 
The  output  is  large,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  statistics. 

In  the  year  1910  the  total  exportation  of  metals  from  Bolivia  reached  the 
amount  of  54,732,000  kg.,  representing  a  value  of  $46,716,774.  Of  this  amount, 
tin  occupies  the  first  place,  as  its  exportation  was  38,548,441  kg.,  of  a  value  of 
$37,006,503.  The  balance  is  distributed  among  the  other  metals,  such  as  silver, 
copper,  zinc,  gold,  bismuth,  antimony,  and  wolfram.  For  1911,  the  statistics  of 
the  first  six  months  of  the  year  only  are  available.  They  show  total  exports  to 
the  amount  of: 

Tin  .  19,052.267  $25,149,529 

Other  metals  .  7,779,029  5,914,194 


Total 26,831,293  $31,063,723 

It  should  be  taken  into  consideration  that  the  value  above  stated  is  in  Bolivian 
money,  $1  United  States  currency  being  the  equivalent  of  2.50  bolivianos. 

Judging  by  the  foregoing  figures,  it  can  be  asserted  that  the  exportation  of 
metals  at  the  end  of  the  year  1911  reached  more  than  60,000,000  kilograms. 

The  probable  production  of  tin  in  all  the  world,  according  to  available  statistics, 
is  about  100,000  tons  annually.  The  principal  output  comes  from  the  English 
possessions  in  the  East  Indies,  whose  contribution  is  a  little  more  or  less  than 
50,000  tons.  Bolivia's  output  is  nearly  40,000,  which  puts  Bolivia  in  the  second 
place  among  the  tin-producing  countries  of  the  world.  In  some  foreign  statistics, 
Bolivia  does  not  appear  as  a  contributor  of  tin  on  such  a  grand  scale.  Part  of  its 
product  is  classified  erroneously  as  Chilean  or  Peruvian  tin.  This  happens  because 
Bolivia,  being  an  inland  country,  has  to  use  for  its  shipments  the  ports  of  Anto- 
fagasta  (Chile)  and  Mollendo  (Peru). 

After  the  foregoing  information  about  the  industry  of  Bolivia,  two  more  points 
remain  to  be  explained  which  may  interest  the  mining  people  desiring  to  go  there — 
that  is,  the  substance  of  the  law  relating  to  the  adjudication  of  mines;  and  the  best 
way  to  reach  the  country,  as  well  as  the  cost  of  the  trip  and  other  details. 

MINING  REGULATIONS. 

The  mining  laws  in  Bolivia  are  very  liberal,  all  the  foreigners  enjoying  the 
same  privileges  and  rights  as  the  natives.  Any  person  having  legal  capacity  to  con- 
tract may  ask  as  many  as  thirty  (30)  mineral  concessions  (pertenencias).  The 
measurement  for  each  concession  (pertenencia)  is  fixed  at  100  square  metres  (about 
327  sq.  ft.)  in  the  direction  desired  by  the  applicant  and  extending  indefinitely  in 
depth. 

The  procedure  is  as  follows:  Any  person  finding  deposits,  placers,  veins,  etc., 
has  to  make  his  application  to  the  Prefect  of  the  Department  in  which  the  claim 
is  situated,  accompanying  the  application  with  a  sketch  showing  clearly  the  position 
in  which  the  mining  claim  shall  be  surveyed,  and  pointing  out  also  its  position  in 
regard  to  adjoining  claims.  The  application  must  be  filed  out  on  stamped  paper 
of  the  value  of  10  bolivianos  (about  $4). 

The  Prefect,  after  having  published  the  application  in  the  papers  for  some  time 
:e  if  there  is  any  opposition  to  the  claim,  shall  issue  the  decree  of  concession, 

»n  the  applicant  becomes  the  owner  of  the  mine,  paying  the  annual   tax  of  $5 

Bolivian  (about  $2  U.  S.  cy.)  for  each  pertenencm. 

An  application  is  considered  abandoned  if  the  survey  and  setting  of  landmarks 
made  within  70  days  from  the  first  publication.     Any  person  may  denounce 

14 


the  abandonment  of  an  application,  asking  to  be  granted  the  same,  when  the  owner 
has  failed  to  comply  with  the  laws  relating  to  the  matter. 

For  prospecting  it  is  not  necessary  to  get  a  special  permission.  Any  person 
may  do  that  kind  of  work,  giving  notice  to  the  authorities  of  the  district  in  which 
he  intends  to  prospect. 

Machinery  and  tools  for  mining  purposes  may  be  imported  into  the  country 
free  of  duty. 

ROUTES  OF  TRAVEL. 

It  is  advisable  for  all  persons  interested  in  mining  and  other  business  in  Bolivia 
to  go  first  to  the  city  of  La  Paz,  which,  though  not  the  capital,  is  the  largest  and 
most  important  city  of  that  country,  being  the  place  of  residence  for  the  Bolivian 
officials,  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  commercial  centre  of  the  country. 

How  to  reach  La  Pas. — The  trip  to  La  Paz  may  be  divided  into  three  stages : 
(1)  from  San  Francisco  to  Panama;  (2)  from  Panama  to  Mollendo;  (3)  from 
Mollendo  to  La  Paz. 

(1)  From  San  Francisco  to  Panama  the  steamers  of  the  direct  line  established 
by  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co.  sail  from  San  Francisco  fortnightly  and  make 
the  journey  in  13  days,  the  cost  of  the  first-class  passage  being  $85.     The  steamers 
of  the  regular  services,  which  make  calls  at  the  different  ports  south  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, require  25  days  and  the  cost  is  $125. 

(2)  From   Panama  to   Mollendo  there  is  a  choice  of  two  lines :  the  Pacific 
Steam  Navigation  Co.  and  the  South  American  Steamship  Co.,  which  connect  with 
the  steamers  of  the  Pacific  Mail.     The  regular  trip  from  Panama  to  Mollendo  is 
made  in  about  fourteen  days,  but  the  South  American  Steamship  Co.,  as  well  as  a 
Peruvian  company  recently  established,  have  some  fast  steamers  which  make  the 
trip  in  less  than  eleven  days.    The  price  of  first-class  passage  is  about  $150. 

A  quick  trip  from  San  Francisco  to  Mollendo,  therefore,  could  be  made  in 
24  days  at  a  rate  of  $233. 

(3)  From  Mollendo  to  La  Paz  the  journey  is  by  rail  and  boat.     A  railroad 
connecting  the  port  of  Mollendo  and  the  city  of  Puno   (Peru)   makes  the  trip  in 
two  days,  arriving  at  the  latter  point  in  the  evening.     At  Puno  a  steamer  is  taken 
to  cross  Lake  Titicaca,  the  highest  navigable  lake  in  the  world,  the  journey  lasting 
all  night,  and  on  the  following  day  the  train  is  reached  at  Guaqui   (Bolivia).     It 
conveys  the  passengers  to  La  Paz,  taking  about  three  hours.     The  journey  may  be 
summarized   as   follows :    from    Mollendo   to   Puno,  2  days   by   railroad ;    Puno  to 
Guaqui.   1   night  by  steamer ;   Guaqui  to  the  city  of  La  Paz,   Bolivia,  3  hours  by 
railroad.     The  entire  trip  from  Mollendo  to  La  Paz  is  made  in  three  days  and  the 
cost  does  not  exceed  $25. 

The  information  given  shows  that  the  journey  from  San  Francisco  to  La  Paz 
could  be  made  by  the  Pacific  route  in  less  than  one  month  for  $260  in  round  figures. 
The  journey  from  San  Francisco  to  Panama  may  be  shortened,  by  way  of  New  York, 
by  three  or  four  days  if  the  traveler  makes  the  exact  connection  with  the  steamers 
of  the  Panama  Railroad  Co.,  which  make  regular  trips  twice  a  week,  between 
.\\u  York  and  Colon,  the  time  being  about  five  or  six  days.  The  train  from  Colon 
to  Panama  does  not  take  more  than  four  hours.  Time  could  be  saved  by  this  route, 
but  the  expense  is  greater  by  more  than  $100. 

C.  SANJIXES. 

THE  PRESS  OF  BOLIVIA 

The  Republic  of  Bolivia  began  its  independent  existence  in  1825.  Up  to  that 
time  Alto  Peru,  as  the  country  had  been  called,  was  closely  associated,  in  its  literary 
and  intellectual  development,  with  Peru  from  Lima,  and  with  the  La  Plata  Provinces 
from  Buenos  Aires.  The  printing  press  was  introduced  into  Argentina  in  1780,  but 
in  Lima,  which  was  one  of  the  first  places  in  the  New  World  to  feel  the  influences  of 
this  startling  means  of  diffusing  knowledge,  the  printing  press  was  set  up  as  early  as 
1582.  Whatever  local  publications  came  from  these  presses  before  the  revolutionary 
movement  and  during  the  few  years  preceding  it  found  their  way  slowly  and  by 

15 


irregular  stages  into  La  Paz  and  elsewhere.  Thus  The  Southern  Star,  issued  in  1807, 
in  Montevideo,  with  propaganda  for  liberty,  aroused  great  excitement  in  Sucre,  and 
other  sheets,  of  one  kind  or  another,  were  read  with  avidity.  Periodical  publications, 
nevertheless,  were  practically  unknown  in  Alto  Peru  while  it  was  a  Province. 

In  1825,  however,  following  as  quickly  as  possible  upon  the  establishment  of  inde- 
pendence in  Bolivia,  the  press  became  active.  Two  papers,  the  Condor  de  Bolivia 
and  the  Gazeta  de  Chuquisaca,  appeared,  the  latter  in  July,  the  former  in  November. 
At  first  they  had  no  real  news,  but  they  carried  reading  matter.  Both  were  printed 
in  Chuquisaca,  one  of  the  earlier  names  changed  later  to  Sucre,  the  capital  of  the 
country.  As  it  was  the  seat  of  a  university  and  of  political  and  social  importance, 
Chuquisaca  retained  the  prestige  of  publication  until  1828,  when  the  first  periodical 
appeared  in  La  Paz.  These  papers  were  not  regularly  issued  oftener  than  once  a 
•tttek,  although  extraordinary  numbers  came  out  from  time  to  time.  During  the  next 
years  other  cities  like  Santa  Cruz,  Oruro,  and  Potosi  secured  papers  of  their  own,  as 
intellectual  necessities  demanded.  At  last,  on  May  1,  1845,  a  daily  newspaper  came 
out  in  La  Paz — la  Epoca — the  first  daily  in  Bolivia.  Since  that  date  the  Republic  has 
been  regularly  supplied  with  its  own  daily  newspapers. 

To-day  the  capital  of  each  Department — political  subdivision — of  Bolivia  has  at 
least  a  weekly  paper,  but  dailies  are  regularly  issued  in  La  Paz,  Cochabamba,  Santa 
Cruz,  Sucre,  Oruro,  and  Potosi,  while  several  of  the  smaller  towns  support  less  fre- 
quent periodicals.  Each  local  paper  is  more  generally  read  in  its  own  home  than  for- 
eign papers,  and  is  therefore,  of  importance  for  the  advertiser,  but  the  larger  dailies, 
of  which  there  are  many,  from  La  Paz,  exert  a  noticeable  influence  throughout  the 
country.  The  average  size  of  the  dailies  is  close  to  20  by  15  inches,  four  pages  (two 
sheets),  with  usually  five  but  occasionally  six  columns  to  a  page.  Some  of  these 
papers  fill  the  first  page  with  advertisement,  reserving  the  second  and  third  pages 
for  reading  matter,  but  allowing  whatever  seems  best  to  go  on  the  fourth  and  last 
page ;  others  reverse  the  form  and  have  the  news  items  on  the  first  page,  placing  the 
advertisements  on  the  inside.  The  circulation  averages  about  2,500  copies. 

Rates  for  advertisements  are  based  either  upon  the  column  or  the  column  inch; 
in  not  a  few  cases  they  must  be  agreed  upon  by  special  arrangement.  A  column  may 
cost  $4  (gold),  or  a  full  page  $16,  each  insertion.  In  one  case  the  rate  is  given  as  for 
100  square  centimeters  at  $1.25  (gold),  this  space  being  equal  to  about  16  square 
inches,  or  estimated  on  the  basis  of  the  column  inch,  about  25  cents  for  that  unit. 
For  continuous  advertising  covering  a  definite  period  favorable  terms  can  always  be 

secured. 

i  j 

LIST  OF  NEWSPAPERS  WHERE  ADVERTISEMENTS  CAN  BE  INSERTED 

La  Verdad  La  Paz. 

El  Comercio  de  Bolivia La  Paz. 

La  Epoca La  Paz. 

La  Tarde  La  Paz. 

El  Tiempo  La  Paz. 

El  Diario  La  Paz. 

El  Heraldo Cochabamba. 

El  Ferrocarril Cochabamba. 

El  Industrial Oruro. 

La  Capital  Sucre 

La  Industria Sucre. 

La  Estrella  del  Oriente Santa  Cruz. 

El  Tiempo  Potosi 

La  Democracia Trinidad  (Beni). 

La  Estrella  Tarija 

16 


BANKING  IN  BOLIVIA 

Mr.  Ignacio  Calderon,  Minister  of  Bolivia  in  Washington,  in  a  pamphlet, 
"Economic  Conditions  of  Bolivia,"  says : — 

"A  Bank  with  several  million  dollars  capital  would  find  very  safe  and  profit- 
able investments  and  could  obtain  valuable  franchises  to  the  mutual  benefit  of  the 
country  and  the  capitalists. 

"If  banking  institutions  were  established  tending  to  avoid  transactions  through 
bills  on  London,  thereby  increasing  the  loss  of  exchange,  I  am  sure  that  the  trade 
with  this  country  would  take  a  grea.t  impetus  and  grow  rapidly." 

The  actual  capital  of  National  banks  with  the  rights  to  issue  notes  established 
in  Bolivia  is  as  follows : — 

Banco  de  la  Nacion  Boliviana Bs.  15,937,500 

"       Mercantil    7^500,000 

"      Nacional  de  Bolivia   6,600,000 

"      Argandoin    4,000,000 

"      Industrial    2,500,000 

"      Agricola    1,700,000 


Bs.  38,237,500 


There  are  also  mortgage  banks,  with  an  issue  of  bonds  on  securities  as  follows : — 

Credito  Hipotecario  de  Bolivia   Bs.  5,073,500 

Banco  Hipotecario  Nacional    1,578,800 

Banco  Hipotecario  Garantizador  de  Valores 1,357,700 


Bs.  8,010,000 


AN"  there  are  some  foreign  banks  with  branches  in  Bolivia:  "Banco  de  Chile 
y  Alemania ;"  "Banco  Aleman  Transatlantic ;"  "Anglo-South  American  Bank."  This 
pne  has  an  agency  in  Xew  York,  60  Wall  Street. 


CONSULATES  OF  BOLIVIA  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.* 

In  addressing  the  consulates  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  full  name  of  the 
consul,  but  merely  to  indicate  the  location  for  the  information  of  the  post-office 
authorities,  as,  for  example,  "Consluate  of  Bolivia,  Chicago,  111."  Bolivia  has  the 
following  consulates  in  the  United  States:  New  York,  N.  Y.,  General  Consulate; 
Baltimore,  Md. ;  Boston,  Mass.;  Chicago,  111.;  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Philadelphia, 
Pa.;  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  Norfolk,  Va.  The  Consul  of  Venezuela,  Mr.  Juan 
Argote,  at  New  Orleans,  is  authorized  to  legalize  Bolivian  invoices  as  well  as 
for  Mobile. 

The  Pan  American  Union,  Washington,  D.  C.  hat  recently  published 
a  raluable  booklet  on  the  "Bolivian  Tariff  and  Appraisment  Schedule*" 
which  we  recommend  to  interested  parties. 


*  Notwithstanding  the  prospects  that  Bolivia  offers   for  enterprises  and  i 
nirnt-.   it    is   advi-alik1   to   obtain    reliable   information    from   the    Bolivian   Legation 
or  Consulates.  A.  B. 

17 


"Palo  Borracho,"  Tree  of  the  Gran  Chaco-Bolivia. 


Bolivia* 

y  la  apertura  del 

Canal  de  Panama 


COX  el  interes  despertado  en  Estados  Unidos  en  extender  las  rela- 
ciones  comerciales  con  los  paises  Sud  Americanos  con  motive  de 
la  proxima  apertura  del  Canal  de  Panama,  un  representante  del 
Xeic  York  Herald  obtuvo  del  Seiior  Adolfo  Ballivian.  Consul  General  de 
Bolivia,  y  de  otros  personajes,  las  siguientes  informaciones  sobre  Bolivia: 

"Estoy  justamente  remitiendo,"  dijo  el  Seiior  Ballivian,  "todo  lo 
publicado  por  el  Herald,  a  mi  Gobierno,  robusteciendo  asi  las  recomen- 
daciones  para  que  mi  pais  no  pierda  tiempo  en  encontrarse  preparado 
ampliamente  para  los  beneficios  que  se  derivaran  de  la  apertura  del  Canal 
de  Panama.  He  dedicado  particular  atencion  a  los  recientes  articulos 
del  Herald  relative >s  a  Sud  America. 

"He  tornado  cuidadosa  nota  de  que  los  demas  paises  estan  vivamente 
preocupados  de  los  inmensos  alcances  de  ese  nuevo  trayecto  y  yo  no 
quiero  que  mi  pais  quede  rezagado. 

"K-  evidente  que  cuando  las  comunicaciones  se  faciliten  de  esa  ma- 
nera,  los  Estados  Unidos  c-taran  a  la  vanguardia  del  desarrollo  del 
comercio  de  la  costa  occidental  de  Sud  America.  Los  preparatives  para 
asegurar  esa  preponderancia  se  estan  llevando  a  cabo  aqui,  y  mi  anhelo 
es  que  mi  Gobierno  vaya,  al  menos,  medio  camino  al  encuentro  de  esos 
esfuerzos. 

"Como  primera  medida  estoy  recomendando,  que  la  esfera  de  accion 
de  este  Consulado  sea  considerablemente  ensanchada.  Deseo  instalar 
aqui  una  'Oficina  de  Informaciones'  debidamente  equipada.  Quiero  que 
se  coloque  en  condiciones  de  poder  absolver  toda  clase  de  inve^tigaciones 
relativas  a  los  alicipntes  quc  los  negocios  ofrecen  en  mi  pais,  a  fin  de 
impulsar  su  comercio  e  industria  en  cuanto  sea  posible.  Me  propongo 
tener  aqui  un  muestrario  de  los  diversos  productos  de  Bolivia  (muchos 
de  ellos  del  todo  desconocidos),  de  modo  de  poner  a  la  vista  de  los  im- 
portadores  aqui  la  clase  de  articulos  que  tenemos  para  ofrecerles. 


*  Kstando  <->ta  puMicaoion  di-stinada  principalmente  para  si-rvir  <k-  Iii;i-ra<  in- 
f<irmaoii  >]](•-,  al  comrrdo  anuTiraim.  -M-  >ii]iriiiH-  rn  la  vi-r-ii'm  i'a>ti-llana.  la  traduc- 
cion  de  todo  aquello  quo  es  debidanu'iiU'  i-mmcido  rn  I'olivia.  V  B. 


1" 


"Tengo  frecuentes  demandas  de  exportadores  y  fabricantes  ame- 
ricanos  preguntando  la  mejor  manera  de  hacer  conocer  sus  articulos  en 
Bolivia.  Para  eso  me  empeno  en  que  se  establezca  aqui  una  Agencia 
General  que  acepte  anuncios  y  se  encargue  de  hacerlos  publicar  en  las 
diversas  ciudades  y  organos  de  la  prensa  en  Bolivia. 


Ferrocarriles  al  terminarse. 

"La  construction  de  la  red  ferroviaria  que  se  comenzo  en  Bolivia 
hace  ya  algunos  anos,  se  encontrara  al  terminarse  mas  6  menos,  si  no 
antes,  que  la  apertura  del  Canal  de  Panama.  Estos  trabajos  contri- 
buiran  a  hacer  mas  efectiva  la  avanzada  labor  acometida  por  los  Esta- 
dos  Unidos. 

"Actualmente  el  transito  del  comercio  de  la  costa  del  Pacifico  tiene 
que  introducirse  a  Bolivia  ya  sea  por  Mollendo  en  el  Peru,  6  por  la  via 
de  Antofagasta  en  Chile.  En  virtud  de  un  acuerdo  con  este  ultimo  pais 
un  nuevo  ferrocarril  se  halla  en  construction  que  parte  de  Arica,  en  la 
costa  de  Chile,  hasta  La  Paz,  en  Bolivia,  con  lo  que  se  abreviara  el 
tiempo  del  trayecto,  cuando  menos  en  una  tercera  parte ;  asi  se  colocara 
La  Paz  distante  tan  solo  ocho  6  diez  horas  de  la  costa.  Parece  un  augurio 
feliz  el  que  esas  dos  grandes  empresas  se  terminen  mas  6  menos  al  mismo 
tiempo.  * 

"Actualmente  la  mercaderia  que  se  dirije  a  Bolivia  por  la  via  de 
Panama  y  Mollendo  sufre  mucho  deterioro  a  causa  de  los  trasbordos. 
Tiene  que  trasbordarse  en  Colon  y  despues  en  Panama  y  asi  hasta  llegar 
a  Mollendo.  De  este  puerto  a  La  Paz  no  hay  actualmente  trafico  directo. 
El  trayecto  se  recorre  en  tres  secciones ;  la  primera  por  medio  del  ferro- 
carril a  Puno  en  el  Lago  Titicaca;  alii  la  mercaderia  se  trasborda  al 
vapor  del  lago,  de  donde  precede  a  Guaqui,  el  puerto  de  La  Paz;  a 
cuya  ciudad  finalmente  se  conduce  por  ferrocarril. 

"Calculo  que  la  mercaderia  embarcada  de  Nueva  York  por  dicha 
via  sufre  veintiun  manipulaciones.  Cuando  el  servicio  del  Canal  de 
Panama  se  abra  y  el  ferrocarril  de  Arica  a  La  Paz  se  halle  funcionando, 
esas  operaciones  se  reduciran  a  solo  ocho.  Es  evidente  que  esto  repre- 
senta  una  gran  disminucion  en  los  gastos  de  fletes  sin  considerar  el 
tiempo  que  se  economizara.  El  tiempo  que  se  empleara  en  el  trans- 
porte  se  reducira,  entonces,  a  menos  de  la  mitad. 

Procurando  ensanche  comercial. 

"El  comercio  exterior  de  Bolivia  no  es  todavia  muy  extenso.  No 
porque  ello  se  deba  a  carencia  de  expectativas,  sino  porque  hasta  muy 

*  En  momento  de  ponerse  en  prensa  este  folleto  un  cablegrama  de  Valparaiso, 
i  'i"*rzi0'  ?nuncia  ^ue  los  rieles  del  ferrocarril  de  Arica  a  La  Paz  ban  sido  unidos, 

endose  comenzado  los  trabajos  simultaneamente  por  ambos  extremos.  El 
proximo  6  de  agosto— el  Aniversario  Nacional  de  Bolivia— los  Presidentes  de  am- 
bos paises  haran  la  inauguracion  oficial. 

20 


recientemente  nos  ban  faltado  los  medios  de  transporte.  Pero  ahora 
que  vamos  a  disfrutar  de  estas  ventajas,  un  gran  incremento  no  se  dejara 
esperar. 

"Acabo  de  recopilar  el  resumen  de  las  exportaciones  enviadas  a  Boli- 
via de  Nueva  York  por  el  ano  1911,  lo  que  representa  en  oro  americano 
$1.215,986.  (Bs.  3.040,000.)  La  cifra  mayor  entre  esto  corresponde  a- 
tejidos  de  algodon  (tocuyos)  $389,234;  en  seguida  viene  las  maquinarias 
diversas  $130,000;  y  despues  explosivos  para  minas  $127,559. 

"Xo  tengo  a  mano  datos  completes  sobre  la  exportacion  e  impor- 
tacion  de  y  a  Bolivia,  pero  las  cifras  siguientes  por  las  importaciones 
durante  los  ultimos  cinco  anos  dan  una  idea  de  la  manera  como  el 
movimiento  comercial  ha  crecido :  en  1906,  Bs.  35.087,325 ;  en  1907, 
Bs.  37.897.610;  en  1908,  Bs.  40.732,543;  en  1909,  Bs.  34.224,764;  en 
1910,  Bs.  48.802,394.  * 

"Nuestra  exportacion  en  1910  ascendio  a  Bs.  75.622,149.  Es  facil 
convertir  esas  cifras  a  moneda  americana  por  cuanto  el  Boliviano  repre- 
senta 40  centavos  oro.  ** 

"Los  dos  articulos  con  los  que  paga  Bolivia  sus  importaciones  son 
minerales  y  goma  elastica.  Bolivia  es  muy  rica,  pero  como  el  avaro,  el 
boliviano  guarda  escondidos  sus  tesoros.  Se  hallan  bajo  de  tierra.  Se 
requiere  arrancarlos  a  la  luz  del  dia  para  que  scan  utilizables. 

"Parecera  hoy  increible  que  antes  que  Boston  se  hubiera  fundado, 
Potosi,  una  de  las  ciudades  de  Bolivia  que  ahora  tiene  diminuta  pobla- 
cion,  contuviese  160,000  habitantes !  En  la  epoca  del  Coloniaje  Espanol 
produjo  esta  ciudad  inmensas  riquezas  provenientes  de  sus  minas  de 
plata.  Su  hermoso  cerro  se  halla  perforado  como  una  colmena  por 
socabones  mineros,  de  los  que  hay  cuando  menos  5,000  escavaciones. 
Entre  tanto  la  industria  minera  sufrio  en  mi  pais  un  rudo  golpe  con  la 
depreciacion  del  valor  de  la  plata,  por  lo  que  su  explotacion  ha  decaido 
mucho  en  el  dia.  La  reduccion  de  los  fletes  como  resultado  de  las  nuevas 
vias  de  transporte  pueden,  sinembargo,  producir  reaccion  saludable. 

"En  el  aiio  1910  el  valor  total  de  la  plata  exportada  fue  de  5.476.398 
Bolivianos,  mientras  que  los  minerales  de  estano  exportados  alcanzaron 
a  37.006,504  Bolivianos.  El  estano  ha  reemplazado  a  la  plata  y  ahora 
es  Bolivia  uno  de  los  mayores  paises  productores  de  estano  en  el  mundo. 
Es  el  unico  pais  en  Sud  America  en  el  que  se  ha  encontrado  estano. 


Desenvolvimiento  ferroviario. 

"Bolivia  no  ha  sido  aim  divisada  como  amplio  campo  para  la  explo- 
tacion del  capital  americano.  Hace  recien  cerca  de  cinco  anos  quo  un 
Sindicato  Americano  obtuvo  una  concesion  para  construir  500  millas  de 
ferrocarril.  Los  concesionarios  trabajaron  durante  dos  6  tro  anos  y 


*  Memoria  del  Ministro  dc  Hacienda  Sr.  Carlos  Torrico,  pag.  167. 
**  Circular  de   15  septiembre    1911    del   Ministro   de   Relaciones   Exteriores    Dr. 
Claudio  Pinilla. 

21 


en  seguida  pasaron  la  direccion  a  una  Compania  inglesa  que  ya  tenia  en 
explotacion  el  ferrocarril  de  Antofagasta  a  Bolivia. 

"Otra  empresa  ferrocarrilera  que  se  esta  construyendo  por  ameri- 
canos,  y  que  sera  de  inmenso  beneficio  para  Bolivia  "es  el  ferrocarril 
Madera-Mamore.  Aunque  su  trayecto  recorre  territorio  brasileno,  sera 
esa  ruta  de  grande  importancia  para  Bolivia. 

"Infelizmente  Bolivia  esta  privada  de  puertos  maritimos.  Es  uno 
de  los  pocos  paises  que  existen  sin  ellos.  Aunque  su  area  represente  la 
cuarta  parte  del  tamano  de  los  Estados  Unidos,  su  dominio  territorial 
es  completamente  mediterraneo.  Una  gran  parte  de  su  area  se  encuentra 
al  Oriente  de  los  Andes  siendo  esa  region  muy  feraz  y  enormemente 
rica  en  goma  elastica.  Hasta  ahora  el  desarrollo  de  esa  region  ha  sido 
impedido  por  las  dificultades  de  transportes.  La  salida  principal  es  por 
medio  de  los  rios  Mamore  y  Madera  hacia  el  Amazonas,  pero  esa  ruta 
es  sumamente  peligrosa  a  causa  de  las  rompientes  (cachuelas)  de  esos 
rios.  Esas  cachuelas  han  sido  fatales  tanto  en  sacrificio  de  vidas  como 
en  la  perdida  de  productos  y  mercaderias  naufragados. 

"La  importancia  que  mi  pais  atribuye  y  persigue  para  alcanzar  una 
conveniente  salida  al  Atlantico  por  esta  via  puede  apreciarse  por  el  hecho 
de  que  hace  40  anos  que  el  Gobierno  de  Bolivia  se  presto  a  garantizar 
capitales  para  que  una  empresa  construyera  el  ferrocarril  que  evitase  las 
referidas  cachuelas  aun  cuando  su  construction  recorria  territorio  extran- 
jero,  del  Brasil.  La  tentativa  fracaso  entonces,  pero  el  empeno  se  ha 
renovado  recientemente.  Hace  nueve  anos  que  a  merito  de  un  tratado 
con  el  Brasil  que  consiguio  una  extensa  cesion  territorial,  este  pais  se 
comprometio  a  construir  ese  ferrocarril  para  evitar  las  cachuelas.  La 
concesion  para  construir  el  ferrocarril  fue  dada  a  un  brasileno  que  la 
trasfirio  a  capitalistas  americanos  que  se  comprometieron  llevar  a  cabo 
ese  trabajo. 

"Se  esta  llegando  ahora  a  la  termination  de  esa  empresa  y  sus  bonos 
son  procurados  con  empeno." 


Avance  del  Ferrocarril  Madera-Mamore. 


Respecto  al  progreso  del  ferrocarril  Madera-Mamore,  el  Senor 
Rodney  D.  Chipp,  Tesorero  de  dicha  Compania,  en  115  Broadway,  ayer 
daba  estos  informes  al  representante  del  Herald:  "Aunque  la  obra  del 
ferrocarril  ha  encontrado  imprevistas  dificultades,  esperamos  que  estara 
la  linea  expedita  el  proximo  junio.  Estamos  trabajando  esta  empresa 
hace  ya  cinco  anos.  Las  dificultades  a  que  he  hecho  referencia  han  sido 
climatologicas,  no  de  ingenieria.  Vencimos  esas  dificultades  en  la  exten- 
sion de  la  linea  empleando  el  sistema  que  dio  tan  satisfactorios  resultados 
en  la  zona  del  Canal  de  Panama.  De  Torto  Velho'  hemos  hecho  una 
cmdad  modelo  donde  se  ha  fundado  un  Hospital.  Tenemos  organizado 
alh  un  cuerpo  competente  de  medicos  y  enfermeras  que  tienen  a  su  carsjo 
el  Hospital. 

22 


"Xuestra  accion  era,  en  realidad,  del  todo  nueva.  La  idea  era  sin 
duda  antigua,  habiendose  hecho  una  tentativa  alii  por  el  ano  1870,  para 
construir  ese  ferrocarril  por  una  Compania  de  Filadelfia ;  pero  esos  tra- 
bajos  fracasaron.  Cuando  comenzamos  las  operaciones  los  antiguos  tra- 
bajos  estaban  todos  enmontados. 

"Xuestra  empresa  tiene  en  construccion  mas  de  200  millas  de  ferro- 
carril contiguas  a  las  cachnclas  de  los  rios  Madera  y  Mamore.  Este 
ferrocarril  unira  la  navegacion  del  Amazonas  y  el  Madera  abajo  de  las 
cachuelas  con  los  miles  de  millas  de  navegacion  que  existe  en  Bolivia  y 
Brasil  arriba  de  dichas  cachuelas. 

"Estas  caidas  6  cachuelas  en  esos  rios  interrumpian  la  navegacion 
alii  en  una  extension  de  200  millas,  por  lo  que  solo  podia  ella  verificarse 
en  canoas  manejadas  por  los  indigenas,  y  aunque  esos  indios,  adquieren 
gran  habilidad  para  dominar  dificultades  increibles,  las  perdidas  de  vidas 
y  mercaderias  han  sido  aterradoras.  Los  siniestros  en  mercaderias  se 
calculan  en  20  por  ciento.  Facil  es,  por  lo  tanto,  apreciar  la  inmensa 
economia  que  se  reportara  con  el  ferrocarril,  sin  perderse  de  vista  el 
campo  enorme  que  se  abre  como  horizonte  de  justas  expectativas  basadas 
en  este  desenvolvimiento. 

"La  empresa  dispone  alii  de  un  cuerpo  considerable  de  ingenieros  y 
mecanicos  de  los  Estados  Unidos. 

"Los  rieles  son  belgas,  pero  el  material  rodante  y  locomotoras  son 
construidas  en  Estados  Unidos.  Para  los  durmientes  hemos  aprove- 
chado  las  maderas  nativas  de  ley  y  tambien  se  ha  importado  algunos 
de  Australia. 

"La  entrega  al  trafico  de  una  seccion  ya  terminada  fue  hecha  en 
septiembre  ultimo." 

El  Presidente  de  la  Compania  del  ferrocarril  Madera-Mamore  es 
Percival  Farquhar.  Este  Senor  esta  interesado  en  muchas  empresas 
ferrocarrileras  en  el  Brasil.  Se  dijo,  hace  algun  tiempo,  que  el  Senor 
Farquhar  y  el  Doctor  F.  S.  Pearson,  otro  americano  que  ha  hecho  trabajos 
de  pioneer  en  el  campo  ferroviario  en  el  Brasil,  se  habian  propuesto 
obtener  el  dominio  de  un  sistema  transcontinental  de  ferrocarriles  en  este 
pais,  pero  tal  proposito  resulto  infructuoso. 


Bolivia  Railway  Company. 

El  Senor  J.  G.  Metcalfe,  Vice  Presidente  de  la  "Bolivia  Railway 
Company."  y  que  anteriormente  fue  Presidente  de  la  Compania,  mani- 
festo tambien  a  un  representante  del  Herald  que  al  comienzo  de  esos 
ferrocarriles  el  mismo  permanecio  muchos  meses  en  Bolivia  y  en  los 
paises  adyacentes. 

"Bolivia/'  dijo,  "es  un  pais  muy  rico  en  productos  naturales  y  su 
gente  de  trato  franco  y  agradable.  En  su  origen  la  Bolivia  Railway 
Company  fue  constituida  en  America.  La  concesion  para  construir 
cerca  de  500  millas  de  ferrocarril  fue  obtenida  por  el  'National  City 
Bank'  y  'Speyer  y  Cia.'  Las  lineas  proyectadas  abarcaban  lo  siguiente: 

"23 


de  Viacha  a  Oruro;  de  Oruro  a  Cochabamba;  Rio  Mulato  a  Potosi;  y 
de  Uyuni  a  Tupiza.  La  linea  de  Viacha  a  Oruro  esta  ya  en  explotacion 
y  la  que  se  dirije  a  Potosi  se  concluira  el  mes  proximo.  En  las  demas 
secciones  los  trabajos  van  adelantando  satisfactoriamente. 

"Los  trabajos  continuaron  durante  tres  anos  bajo  la  direction  ame- 
ricana,  pero  despues  paso  a  una  compaiiia  inglesa.  Esta  Compania  es 
la  que  se  hallaba  explotando  una  linea  de  Antofagasta  a  Oruro.  En 
realidad  las  lineas  terminadas  y  en  construction  por  la  'Bolivia  Railway' 
forman  extensiones  y  ramales  de  esa  ruta,  y  ahora  las  dos  funcionan 
bajo  un  solo  sistema  administrativo. 

"Las  dificultades  de  ingenieria  en  las  empresas  de  la  'Bolivia  Rail- 
way Company'  no  son  tan  grandes  como  las  que  se  encuentran  en  otros 
ferrocarriles.  Verdad  que  es  grande  la  altitud;  nunca  menor  de  12,000 
pies,  pero  la  mayor  portion  del  camino  recorre  pampas  bastante  niveladas 
del  gran  altiplano  Boliviano,  y  no  se  atraviesa  terrenos  montanosos,  donde 
son  necesarios  frecuentes  cambios  de  gradiente. 

"Hasta  ahora  no  se  ha  introducido  a  Bolivia  capital  americano  que 
merezca  mencionarse.  Es  asi  que  yo  no  conozco  que  exista,  en  escala 
apreciabie,  empresas  mineras  en  manos  de  americanos.  Aquellas  pro- 
piedacles  mineras  que  se  han  levantado,  lo  han  conseguido,  en  su  mayor 
parte,  con  esfuerzos  propios  y  pequenos  capitales.  El  Gobierno  de  Boli- 
via, entretanto,  se  empena  por  atraer  al  pais  capitales  extranjeros,  para 
dar  mayor  impulse  y  para  esto  ofrece  especiales  alicientes  para  las  explo- 
taciones  de  las  industrias  mineras  y  de  la  goma  elastica. 

"Me  impresiono  gratamente  el  encontrar  a  los  hombres  de  Gobierno 
de  Bolivia  muy  correctos  y  del  todo  versados  en  negocios.  Es  mas  facil 
conseguir  un  Si  6  un  No  redondo  en  Bolivia,  que  lo  es  alcanzarlo  en 
Washington. 

"Independiente  del  aspecto  atractivo  industrial  y  comercial,  consi- 
dero  a  Bolivia  destinado  a  ocupar  un  lugar  prominente  como  un  pais 
de  atraccion  para  el  tourist  a  tan  luego  como  se  abra  el  Canal  de  Panama. 
Ahora  mismo  ya  esta  siendo  inmensamente  apreciado.  En  algunos  viajes 
en  que  los  vapores  tocan  en  diferentes  puertos  de  la  costa  occidental, 
muchos  pasajeros  dejan  el  vapor  en  Mollendo,  van  a  La  Paz  por  la  via 
del  Lago  Titicaca' y,  en  seguida,  lo  alcanzan  en  Antofagasta,  yendo  por 
la  via  de  Oruro  y  Uyuni.  Dificilmente  puede  imaginarse  una  excursion 
mas  llena  de  novedades  y  agradables  sorpresas.  Los  touristas  cruzan 
los  Andes  dos  6  tres  veces,  al  menos,  una  de  las  cimas  de  esas  montanas,  y 
atraviesan  ese  pais  rico  en  monumentos  de  antigua  civilization,  que  ates- 
tiguan  los  actos  heroicos  de  los  Conquistadores  espanoles. 

"Bolivia  es  un  pais  maravilloso,  que  solamente  ahora  estamos  comen- 
zando  a  oir  hablar  de  el." 


24 


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